Panthers clobber Oilers in Game 3: Grades, key players, big questions for both teams

Go up and number to 11. One. Two. Yada Yada. Eleven.

That's however galore times the Florida Panthers person scored 5 oregon much goals successful a azygous crippled this postseason. No, really. They did it doubly against the Tampa Bay Lightning, 3 times to the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4 times against the Carolina Hurricanes and aft doing it successful Game 2 to the Edmonton Oilers, they did it again Monday successful a 6-1 romp successful Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Scoring goals successful bunches is intelligibly thing caller for the Panthers. But to springiness up much than 5 goals successful a playoff game? Prior to Game 2, the past clip the Oilers allowed that galore successful a azygous contention was successful Game 1 of the Western Conference finals -- a bid they would spell connected to win.

Florida taking a 2-1 bid pb means the defending Stanley Cup champions are present 2 wins distant from repeating. Ryan S. Clark and Kristen Shilton analyse however Game 3 played out, what players to ticker going guardant and what questions each squad indispensable reply going into Game 4 connected Wednesday.

Florida Panthers
Grade: A+

Florida got the amended of Edmonton successful each respect: they outworked, and simply outmatched, the Oilers astatine adjacent spot and connected peculiar teams. The Panthers' forecheck was relentless, they won much battles on the boards and, possibly astir critically, held Edmonton's stars -- and full offense, truly -- astatine bay. That second feat was owed successful ample portion to a sensational show successful nett from Sergei Bobrovsky, who outplayed Stuart Skinner astatine the different end.

The Panthers were successful power of Game 3 from the start, with Brad Marchand's extremity little than a infinitesimal into the archetypal period, and yet got their powerfulness play going erstwhile Carter Verhaeghe lit the lamp connected their 4th effort of the archetypal period. Sam Reinhart's effect to Corey Perry's extremity aboriginal successful the 2nd play and Sam Bennett's breakaway aft that lone cemented further however dialed successful Florida was.

Going successful the 3rd play up 4-1, knowing they were 30-1 successful the postseason nether Paul Maurice erstwhile starring aft 2 periods, was each the positivity the Panthers needed to not conscionable pursuit Skinner from the cage but cruise their mode to a resounding win. -- Shilton

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Brad Marchand scores 56 seconds successful to springiness Panthers aboriginal lead

Brad Marchand flicks it successful done a assemblage of defenders to springiness the Panthers an aboriginal pb vs. the Oilers.

Edmonton Oilers
Grade: D

Once again, the Oilers had different play successful which they gave up 2 goals, adding to what's been different chronic contented this series, on with dilatory starts arsenic a whole. There were the struggles to clasp the puck, lone to past springiness up turnovers that led to goals. Take distant the extremity from Corey Perry that was acceptable up by Evan Bouchard, and the Oilers' supporting formed besides struggled to marque an interaction portion Los Gatos had six antithetic extremity scorers.

The Oilers besides couldn't support their cool, finishing with 85 punishment minutes, which is the astir successful a Cup last crippled since 1986.

A bid that's been defined by the conception that either the Oilers oregon Panthers could've taken a 2-0 aft the archetypal 2 contests led to a Game 3 that saw the Oilers conflict successful respective areas. Mounting comebacks has go truthful overmuch of a trademark this postseason that they ended the Panthers' 31-game streak of having a second-period lead. But they came into the 3rd play of Game 3 trailing by 3 goals, which was already a occupation for a fewer reasons. The superior 1 being that the past clip a squad came backmost from a three-goal shortage successful the 3rd play of a Stanley Cup last was successful 1944 -- erstwhile the Montreal Canadiens did it disconnected against the Chicago Blackhawks. After allowing an aboriginal power-play goal, Stuart Skinner was replaced by Calvin Pickard.

Those challenges added up to the Oilers having their worst crippled of the Cup Final -- and possibly their poorest show since aboriginal successful the archetypal circular against the Los Angeles Kings. -- Clark

Players to ticker successful Game 4

Aleksander Barkov
C, Panthers

It's astir clip the Panthers' skipper enters the Cup Final (scoring) chat, right?

While the likes of Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand each person 4 goals successful the series, Barkov has yet to registry a azygous constituent and has registered conscionable six shots connected net. Of course, Barkov has been crushing large minutes (including 30-plus successful that double-overtime triumph successful Game 2) and been tasked with trying to incorporate the Oilers' apical line, but still. That magnitude of crystal clip makes it adjacent much perplexing that he's failed to find the scoresheet by this point.

Barkov had six goals and 11 points done the Panthers' archetypal 3 playoff series, and was among their astir accordant forwards. Something conscionable hasn't translated yet for him to the Final, wherever helium has looked a half-step disconnected throughout.

That can't last. Barkov is wholly excessively talented to not go a origin for Florida. It's Oilers beware if that happens -- fixed however the Panthers' discourtesy performed successful Game 3 adjacent without contributions from Barkov, seeing him drawback occurrence excessively could beryllium Edmonton's worst nightmare. -- Shilton

Stuart Skinner
G, Oilers

Guess we're doing this again, aren't we?

Goaltenders ever look scrutiny, peculiarly successful the playoffs. After all, it's 1 of the fewer professions connected the satellite successful which a reddish light, a large horn and thousands of radical openly observe your mistakes. Monday was the 4th clip during these playoffs that Skinner has allowed much than 5 goals. The 2nd clip that happened, it led to the Oilers replacing him with Calvin Pickard successful the archetypal round. Pickard replaced him again successful Game 3, and would halt 7 of 8 shots successful 16:33 of crystal time.

The astir caller clip that Skinner allowed much than 5 goals was followed by the Oilers rallying to triumph 4 consecutive to scope the Stanley Cup Final. And however overmuch of Game 3 tin beryllium placed connected Skinner? The Oilers had 11 giveaways, gave up 7 power-play chances, and fell prey -- erstwhile again -- to giving up 2 unanswered goals successful a period. So is it that Skinner was the occupation -- oregon does it person much to bash with the information that helium was failed by the situation astir him? -- Clark

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Aaron Ekblad scores disconnected beauteous Panthers passing

Aaron Ekblad makes the powerfulness play number arsenic helium slots location a blistering passing play by the Panthers vs. the Oilers.

Big questions for Game 4

Can the Panthers support Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl successful cheque -- again?

Florida did an fantabulous occupation neutralizing McDavid and Draisaitl astatine 5-on-5 and connected the powerfulness play, adjacent erstwhile Kris Knoblauch was forced into pairing them unneurotic connected a enactment midway done the 2nd play successful hopes it would spark the Oilers' offense. That wasn't the lawsuit -- and it didn't bash overmuch to amended things for McDavid and Draisaitl, either.

Draisaitl had zero changeable attempts by aboriginal successful the 3rd period. McDavid had two. While Bobrovsky did look peculiarly impenetrable, it was hard for either of Edmonton's stars to make overmuch accidental successful beforehand of him anyway. By the extremity of the 3rd play Knoblauch mightiness person elected to simply halt putting McDavid oregon Draisaitl implicit the boards astatine each fixed however the Oilers were imploding.

Regardless, immoderate was moving for Florida successful that respect needs to beryllium bottled and reopened for Game 4. Edmonton was capable to marque Barkov uncomfortable erstwhile they were dictating matchups, and connected Florida's location crystal the Panthers were capable to respond by stymying Edmonton's 2 elite scorers. If that's a show Florida tin recreate connected Thursday, past there's a existent accidental Florida tin instrumentality a stranglehold connected this bid erstwhile it flips backmost to Edmonton for Game 5. -- Shilton

Can the Oilers hole what's gone incorrect with their antiaircraft operation arsenic of late?

A breakaway extremity from Brad Marchand successful Game 2 got the Panthers connected the board, portion a 2nd breakaway extremity from Marchand successful treble overtime is however they tied the series. That's not adjacent counting the Sam Reinhart breakaway that could person ended Game 2 during the archetypal overtime.

Allowing 3 goals halfway done Game 3 was already going to pb to questions astir what happened to the Oilers' antiaircraft scheme. But the Panthers taking a 4-1 pb successful the 2nd play via Sam Bennett's breakaway presented different imaginable interest astir the Oilers.

There person already been moments successful this bid successful which the Panthers person had a changeable stock of much than 65%. As noted above, the Oilers besides gave up 2 unanswered goals successful a period, thing that's happened six times done the archetypal 9 periods of the series. Establishing a consciousness of antiaircraft continuity has been a hallmark this postseason for the Oilers. But truthful far, a deficiency of antiaircraft consistency has led to them falling into a 2-1 hole. -- Clark

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Sam Bennett slots location Panthers' 4th goal

Sam Bennett fools the goaltender arsenic helium tucks successful the Panthers' 4th extremity connected the breakaway vs. the Oilers.